Video Reveals How The Avengers Earned Its Oscar Nomination

The Avengers was one of the most popular movies of 2012, and the most financially successful one by far, but when it came to Oscar recognition it had to settle for Best Visual Effects, where it netted a much-deserved nomination. Competing against the likes of Life of Pi and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, it's got a fight ahead of it to actually win the statue, but now effects company Industrial Light and Magic has released a video that very well could help its case.

Sure, you could pore over hours of bonus features on the Blu-ray to see how the film's effects were put together. Or you could just watch this impressive fie-minute video, in which we see the journey from models and CGI puppets to the fully-realized film, and just how many steps there are in-between. It's not easy to fake destroy New York City, but hey, these guys are the experts.

I especially enjoy the quick reveal of all the moving parts behind that iconic, camera-circling shot of the Avengers all in one place. It makes you realize both how complete the director's vision has to be, and then how many people have to come together to actually give him what he wants. That's always the magic of visual effects, and if this video has as much impact on the Academy as it did on me, maybe it's enough to earn that Oscar after all.